‘It Was Frustrating’: Lydia Ko Gets Candid Over Her Survival After 2023’s Brutal Treatment

The career of an athlete is filled with highs and lows. It has especially been so with Lydia Ko, who experienced an exceptional 2022, followed by a rough patch last year pushing her outside the top 100 on the Race to CME Globe season list. Nevertheless, over time, she was able to calm down, pick herself up, and move on. How was she able to do that?

The golfer was asked about the same in a press conference at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. Answering the query, she decided to recount her experiences, which helped her maintain her coolness despite the losses, all the while sharing the “lucky” secret behind her maintaining her composure!

Lydia Ko shares the fortunate reason behind her coming out unscathed

“It was frustrating,” said Ko in the presser following the Friday round, while mentioning how she was “crying” a lot last year. Adding on, the pro recounted that her Friday round at the U.S. Women’s Open, at 1-under 71, followed by her first day at the Amundi Evian Championship, at 66 (-2), were the first “under par” she had in a few rounds. “Obviously don’t want to be in that position even when you’re practicing,” stated the golfer before saying, “let alone when you are competitively playing in the middle of the season.”

However, the 26-year-old revealed how she was “very lucky” with the “people that have surrounded” her. “I had a good team and family members that were able to kind of say, hey, it’s okay. You’re progressing,” said the LPGA Tour pro before continuing, “It’s good to have people that have belief in you.” Even so, she disclosed how “frustrating” it was at the beginning but was able to “see the big picture” as time went on.

The 2-time major champ also made sure to divulge how it would have been a lie to say that “missing the cut” was all good. Nevertheless, despite all the hurdles, she was able to get “better,” all thanks to the “work” she had done during the season, along with her team’s help. “That’s what I’ve always been fortunate about,” said the golfer while alluding to the latter.

Well, if one does take a look at 2023, the Kiwi did not have the best of years. Moreover, her performance also led her to lose out on the No. 1 position in the Rolex rankings over the season.

Ko’s dismal season in 2023

The 2016 ANA Inspiration Champ is currently ranked No. 12 on the world rankings. She finished a total of five times in the top 10, her best coming off in the Saudi Ladies International at the start of the year in February and a T3 in the BMW Ladies Championship in October.

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But even so, she has managed to start off 2024 better than most of the events she did last year. She propelled herself to T1 on the leaderboard, at 8-under, in the first event of the season at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions after two days of play on Friday. With the year she experienced in 2023 and the progress she has made, one can’t help but dub her story as nothing short of an inspiring tale!

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